Riding the French Alps

Jun 10, 2017—After four months of driving on the left side of the road, it was refreshing to get back on the right side where things felt more familiar. Europe!

I think this is lavender.

This has to be the cutest dog on the planet after my parents’ dog when he was a puppy.

From the White Cliffs of Dover in England we took the ferry to Calais, France and made a beeline for the Alps.

Waiting for the ferry in Dover, England to take us to France.Thing down the bikes inside the ferry deck.England’s White Cliffs of Dover.Maybe we should go around the world again in one of these.

I have a friend, Karen, who I know from Revelstoke, staying with her friends, Judy and Serge, in a small village named Montmin, situated between the busy city of Annecy and the dramatic landscapes of Chamonix. Originally we planned only a few days in Montmin but once we’d ridden away from the traffic jams in Annecy and rode the twisty corners high into the beautiful village, found Karen and saw the true Alp-style chalet where we’d be staying, we couldn’t leave so quickly, especially after we saw the view.

Arriving in Montmin. Photo: Karen GlenMontmin in the evening the night we arrived and found Karen! Looks like a swell place.The view from Judy and Serge’s deck in Montmin.Judy and Serge’s house (right) in Montmin. Quite the backyard!Karen grilling up some dinner.

During our week in Montmin, we did Pilates on the beach, swam in Annecy Lake, toured old town Annecy and volunteered for the MAXI Race that Karen and Judy had helped to organize. The MAXI is a running race up to 110 km (68 mi) long that some people attempted in one go as an overnight marathon. Over 7,000 people had registered from all over the world. The race goes up and down some very steep valleys and mountains, gaining and descending thousands of feet in elevation. Not at chance in hell I’d ever do this.

Morning Pilates on the beach at Annecy Lake.Lake Annecy from the col near Serge and Judy’s house, which is more or less at the same elevation as this shot.Swimming at Lake Annecy.

Can’t be in France and not eat a few croissants.Walking around Old Town Annecy.Oh those French!Boats in Annecy.

Dave and Karen convinced me to buy a new dress, made in Paris. How could I refuse? A girl gets tired of wearing the same thing again and again. Sadly, I’ve sent it home as I didn’t want it to get stained in my panniers like all my other clothes from the trip.

We met a guy in Montmin hand-crafting skis from local wood. He does a nice job and got Dave pretty interested in maybe doing this when he gets home.A cutie we had dinner with in Montmin.

While sitting on the deck at Judy and Serge’s house one night, we saw some paragliders. I mentioned always wanting to try this and the next thing we knew, we’d booked a 40-min tour for the following evening. Karen hiked to the top to get photos of us taking off.

Dave gearing up for some paragliding around the alps. Photo: Karen GlenI have to run off a cliff? Photo: Karen Glen

Photo: Karen GlenMe on the left in red and Dave to my right—off into the sunset! Photo: Karen Glen

From here the guys we flew with had Go-Pros that captured this great experience, which was pretty much all I’d hoped for except the part where I threw up. Yeah. After coasting seemingly inches from cliffs and catching updrafts to get above the mountains, my (flyer guy? Guide?) asked first if I wanted to fly the paraglider, which hell yes I did, and then if I wanted to do some tricks, which hell yes I did (after handing back the reins).

I get a turn at flying the ‘big kite’ over Lake Annecy.

As we came in for a landing, we spun corkscrew-like down into the valley. Although it was heartstoppingly fun, it also brought the contents of my stomach up my throat rather quickly. My flyer guy seemed to deal with this regularly and sort of yanked me over to the side, twisting himself in the opposite direction. Despite going from feeling elated to quite terrible in an instant, I couldn’t stop myself from an evil smile thinking of how many windshields I might have targeted on the freeway below.

Dave laughed a little too hard when I told him. He faired better during the spins.

Dave flying over Lake Annecy.Dave out for a solo ride near Montmin.

Mount Blanc on a gorgeous day.A great view of Mount Blanc from a nearby ski resort.

After we pried ourselves away from Judy and Serge’s hugging Karen ‘bye for now, Dave and I rode onto Chamonix. Dave had been there before and was looking forward to going back. It’s a beautiful village and much less crowded than I thought. We spent the afternoon walking the streets and I tried escargots, which were delicious but tough to eat while still in their shells. I should have known when the waiter brought tools to the table. We had to ask him to show us how to break into the puppies, which involves cupping them with one tool and scooping with another sharp tool. And they’re slippery.

Serge and Judy on their driveway seeing us off after a week of their hospitality.Goodbye Montmin!The dramatic backdrop in Chamonix.

Ten days in France is certainly not enough but we were excited to move on and meet my seven-month old godson, Eliot.

Next stop, Switzerland!

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Great stuff kids. Love the photos. Some of the best yet. Paragliding? You are a tough broad Heather. A little puke or two is most forgivable. From the pics you apparently continue to be blessed by the weather gods.

Paragliding looks like something I might have done in my youth – or not. We laughed when you told us about upchucking, probably even harder than Dave did. Great visual of the country. France truly does look beautiful. BTW, Highway is jealous of that puppy. He was always #1

Fantastic photos and narrative you two! Laura was smiling at the scenes around Annecy – she spent a wonderful week home stay with a wonderful family on the outskirts of town last summer, swam the lake, hiked, watched the paragliders launch. Maybe she’ll dream of visiting those Swiss cousins she’s never met after reading your next entry. Keep